American Airlines is closing its San Francisco crew base and asking 400 flight attendants to leave California or leave the airline

Business Insider via Yahoo ^ | 12/03/2022 | Hannah Towey

[DFG]

American Airlines is closing its San Francisco base, potentially displacing 400 flight attendants.

Two-thirds have worked for the airline for 13 years or more, according to union calculations.

10 flight attendants told Insider a myriad of factors make it difficult to leave the Bay Area.

The mass email hit some flight attendants' inboxes mid-flight.

"Today it's with great regret that I let you know about our decision to close the SFO flight attendant base," American Airlines executive Brady Byrnes said in the September memo obtained by Insider.

In closing its San Francisco base, citing economic factors and shifting customer demand, American presented 400 flight attendants with a choice that many said felt impossible to make: leave the airline or leave the state.

The base is home to some of the carrier's most senior flight attendants, two-thirds of whom have been at the airline for 13 years or more, according to the union representing American Airlines flight attendants. By January 31, they must select an airport from a list of the airline's hubs outside of California to work out of. For those who can't or won't, the only options are to retire early (if eligible) or resign, the union told Insider.

[AlaskaErik]

In June, the Supreme Court ruled that a state law requiring workers get a break every few hours does in fact apply to California-based airline employees.

Some SFO-based flight attendants suspect they don't have the option to transfer to Los Angeles — a larger American hub — because the airline could exit California altogether.

Thank the insanity of the California Legislature. Flights won't be able to depart on schedule because stews will be on their California mandated break, which will cause a cascading delay down the line. So I can definitely see AA shutting also down their LA base down the line as this comes to fruition. It'll be easier to shuttle in out of state stews, which aren't subject to the same break rules...yet.

[Scrambler Bob]

who think nothing of living remotely and commuting on a two hour flight to get to their home base for assignments.
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I suspect they don’t have to find parking, wade through TSA, and wait in the boarding area like the rest of us. That turns a ‘normal citizen’s’ two hour flight into a 4-5 hour experience.

[Scrambler Bob]

state law requiring workers get a break every few hours does in fact apply to California-based airline employees.
= = =

So do they camp out in the restroom for a while during the flight, or just step outside for a smoke?

[Scrambler Bob]

Multi-colored White Supremacists.

How far we have devolved.

[JudgemAll]

These must be the stupidest of flight attendants, or politicos, because we all know the smart ones live out of California and get the California pay, however, basing themselves there….

[GaryCrow]

The real reason they’re closing the base is because California passed a crazy labor law requiring a certain amount of breaks per day that makes it almost impossible to run their schedule. They tried to fight it but the Supreme Court ruled California can apply it to aircrew based there so American is closing the base to avoid dealing with it.

[lurk]

They’re flight attendants for crying out loud. Every couple of hours they’re in a new state and city. Just move, as long as you don’t move to the Rocky Mtns.

[Albion Wilde]

In closing its San Francisco base, citing economic factors and shifting customer demand...

So, American doesn't fly to 'Venezuela; Guatemala, Honduras, Colombia and Uruguay?